Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – Israel has decided to shut down its only border crossing with the Gaza Strip amid escalating tensions between Israel and Palestinian civilians.
Israel’s army accused Hamas, the faction that manages the Gaza strip’s affairs, of firing three rockets into Israeli territories on Friday night.
The Israeli Defense Force said one rocket landed in Israel while another landed in Palestinain territory, not giving details about the third rocket.
Palestinians in Gaza condemned the decision, criticizing it as “collective punishment.”
The Gaza strip is impoverished and any blockade of its borders can lead to a severe lack of essential goods. The region’s two million residents have lived under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade for the last fifteen years.
Israel warplanes attacked Gaza earlier this week, after accusing Hamas of firing rockets into Israeli territories.
The actions by Hamas came as a response to Israel’s repeated raids of Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which the resistance faction branded “a red line” that Israel must not cross.
Israel has repeatedly raided Al Aqsa Mosque last week, driving out Muslim worshippers and letting Jewish settlers tour the mosque’s compound instead.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been injured since the incursions began, and hundreds more were arrested.
While Israel claims violent actions from Palestinians as a cause for the raids, the worshippers have maintained that the attacks were unprovoked.
Israel’s actions have been internationally condemned as violations of international law and as standing in the way of peace talks, with Morocco most recently summoning Israel’s Charge d’Affaires over the attacks.
